1.) Hardiness Zone: Another thing to consider when order plants are the hardiness zones and shipping times. Plants are assigned a hardiness zone depending on the type of climate they can tolerate. Choosing plants that will do well in your zone will allow for greater success. Due to the cold weather, we will hold your plant order for you and ship it once your location is past the last frost warning for the season. This ensures the plants ship at a time that is more suitable for travel and save you the hassle of trying to store them until spring.

Measuring your pond may seem like a daunting task at first, but don’t worry, it’s actually fairly simple. You’ll need more than a yardstick though, especially if your pond is an irregular shape.

Knowing the size of your pond is important for a few reasons. Determining the amount of aeration needed, the amount of chemicals to use to target pest weeds as well as applying natural bacteria and dye all require you to know your pond’s size.

Measuring the size of your pond will depend on its relative shape. If your pond is rectangular or square, simply determine the length and width. If your pond is irregularly shaped, you will need to break your pond into several segments to determine an accurate size which can be done by measuring the length and width across the pond, or pacing off the length and width (each pace is approximately three feet).

This math formula will help you determine the surface acreage:

First, multiply Length x Width to determine Square Feet.

Second, Divide the total square feet by 43,560 to determine Surface Acres

When maintaining a pond during the winter, it is important that the surface of your pond does not freeze over with ice. If you have an aeration kit running in your pond but the resulting hole in the ice is getting smaller, or has closed up altogether, don’t panic. Sporadic short-term ice coverage is not an issue if you’ve done regular maintenance to reduce organic debris throughout the season. If the pond remains iced-over for weeks at a time, consider giving your aeration system a boost.

If your pond has frozen over and you want to reopen the hole, simply rest a pan of hot water on the surface of your pond to melt the ice away. Do not use a blunt object to break the ice open as the shock-waves will stress your fish. Also, refrain from poking holes in the ice as you may accidentally puncture your liner or poke one of your fish.

Another way to maintain an open ventilation hole is by adding a pond heater/de-icer above your aeration diffuser stone. If you have multiple air stones, gather them into one area to make it more difficult for ice to form.

Pond Talk: Do you notice the ventilation hole getting smaller or freezing over for short period of time in the winter?

While the colorant used in most pond dye is unaffected by temperature, there may be other included ingredients that suffer from diminished performance in cooler temperatures.

Pond Logic® Pond Dye & Pond Dye Packets contain food-grade dyes that can be used all year long as they are not temperature sensitive. Pond Logic® Pond Dye Plus however, contains water clarifying beneficial bacteria that become largely inactive once water temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Read the product label on your pond dye to determine the best times to treat. Furthermore, store your pond dye in a temperature controlled area to prevent accidental freezing as this can negatively affect performance and potentially damage the dye container.

Pond dye can also be affected by weather conditions other than temperature. Heavy rainfall can dilute the concentration of pond dye reducing its potency in your pond. Avoid applying dye before heavy rains and maintain your desired pond color by re-applying dye every 4-6 weeks to compensate for dilution.

Pond Talk: Do you prefer to use standard pond dye or pond dye with added natural bacteria?

I travel a lot and I don’t have time to take care of pond plants or fish. Is it possible to have a water garden in my yard?

Gentra – Bucyrus, OH

Of course it is, but a standard backyard pond is not your best bet. Successful ponds require fish and plants to keep the ecosystem balanced, and proper filtration and aeration to prevent algae growth.

A pondless waterfall is one option for you to consider. A Pondless Waterfall has no standing water. All of the water that splashes down the rocks is contained within an underground basin. There is no pond ecosystem to maintain. Simply flip a switch to enjoy the sounds of a waterfall and turn it off when you are done to save electricity.

Another option is a Disappearing Fountain. Despite their name, disappearing fountains are very visible. They are made out of fiberglass to resemble decorative urns, pouring vases, or natural rocks. They also feature below-ground basins to house the water. Simply flip a switch to start the pump and the soothing sound of water is yours.

Pond Talk: Should you hire someone to “pond-sit” when you are out of town?

I’ve heard the term “winter fish kill.” What is it and why does it happen?

Linda – Stockbridge, MI

A winter fish kill occurs when your pond or lake becomes uninhabitable for aquatic life and a large number of fish pass away. Winter is the most common time for a fish kill because the long, harsh conditions of the season deplete the oxygen content of the water.

Prolonged ice cover on your pond or lake seals off the water from the air and prevents oxygenation of the water. Ice and snow cover also prevent sunlight from reaching your pond plants. Pond plants normally produce extra oxygen for your pond via photosynthesis. Finally, decomposing organic matter in your pond releases toxic gases that can’t escape from under the ice.

Eventually the competition for the limited supply of oxygen in the pond becomes too great. The fish suffocate and a winter fish kill occurs.

The good news is that winter fish kills are preventable. There are many things you can do as a pond and lake owner to maintain proper oxygen levels in your pond. First and foremost, invest in a good Aeration System. Aeration is the process of circulating air through water and it’s critical for overall pond health. A second option is to add beneficial bacteria products like MuckAway™ or PondClear™ to your pond or lake before the winter season. Beneficial bacteria digest accumulated decomposing organic matter in your pond and convert it to a harmless, odorless gas.

This will be our first full season with our pond. What should we do for proper maintenance?

Joe – Aurora, CO

The first season with your new pond can be an exciting and relatively hassle free endeavor, as long as you take the right precautions to maintain it properly. Lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place to learn exactly what you’ll need in order to successfully maintain your pond for the season.

Remember, a balanced ecosystem is key. Listed below are the main elements used to maintain a balanced pond.

Filtration – Whether you have a waterfall, pressurized or gravity type filter, make sure the included Filter Media is clean and in good condition. Mechanical filtration like skimmer filters should be cleaned regularly to prevent clogging. Biological filter media, like the pads in your waterfall or bio-media in your pressurized filter, should be cleaned sparingly to promote an accumulation of water-filtering beneficial bacteria.

Fish – The highlight of many ponds, fish add color and life to your decorative pond. They also, however, add waste and nutrients that can quickly accumulate and unbalance your pond. 1-inch of fish for every square foot of surface area is a rough guideline for maximum fish load. Keep in mind that your fish are continually growing. That means your 3 inch fish that were added last year are now 4-6 inch fish which more than doubles the waste that needs to be filtered. The more fish you have and the frequency at which you feed them plays a large role in how much filtration you will need to remove this additional waste.

Plants – Aquatic Plants are an enormous natural boon to your water garden or fish pond. Not only do they provide habitat for your fish, maintaining 40-60% plant coverage shades your pond and prevents dramatic increases in water temperature on sunny days. Plants also provide additional natural filtration as they extract nutrients from the water added by organic debris and fish waste.

Aeration – Proper aeration is another key factor for pond maintenance. An aeration kit like the Pond Logic® PondAir™ or KoiAir™ will provide extra circulation to keep debris from accumulating at the bottom of the pond while increasing oxygen levels for your fish and water-filtering aerobic bacteria.

Including each of these key pond elements in your water garden or fish pond greatly reduces stress and guesswork associated with a troublesome unbalanced pond. Simply put, a stable ecosystem means less work on your part. If a problem does arise, you can then pinpoint and adjust whichever element above that is throwing your pond out of balance.

Pond Talk: Is your pond balanced? If not, have you discovered which of the key elements is missing or lacking?